How do you tell how well-run a company is and how well it is doing?

Which ratios and benchmarks should you use to assess performance?

What can be done to massage company results?

How do you recognize danger signs on the corporate horizon?

How do you compare companies operating in different sectors or even different countries?

All these important questions as well as many more are answered in the completely updated and revised fifth edition of this clear and comprehensive guide aimed at anyone who wants to:

make sense and practical use of a company’s annual report

measure a business against its competitors

judge the creditworthiness of a customer or client

assess the investment potential of a company

put a value on a company.

A. H. (Bob) Vause is a Fellow of the Institute of the Chartered Accountants and an Emeritus Fellow of Templeton College, Oxford, where he has taught for more than 20 years. He is a consultant to many large companies.